Australia’s heavy reliance on imported diesel has left the economy exposed to global shocks, highlighting the need to cut demand rather than simply increase supply.

Malcolm Roberts from One Nation is right – at least about one thing. We’ve been sleepwalking into a fuel security crisis for decades.

We have just 34 days of diesel reserves (at time of writing). Maybe 25 if you only count fuel actually on Australian soil, instead of cargo on foreign-flagged ships that could be redirected at any moment.

We’ve closed six of our eight domestic refineries in two decades and import 90 per cent of our refined fuel – much of it originating in Russia or the Middle East, and making its way through the South China Sea to get here.

When the conflict in Iran functionally closed the Strait of Hormuz last week, petrol hit $2.49 a litre in Sydney. In remote Australia, prices approached $4, and panic buying in regional towns has led to some service stations temporarily running out of fuel. Major sectors of the economy, like farming and food distribution, have found it hard to guarantee a supply of diesel for the months ahead.

Even as oil tankers start moving again the vulnerability is real, and the anxiety will remain.

Where One Nation and the Nationals are wrong are their solutions. Their policy proposals amount to little more than expensive nostalgia. One Nation wants to rebuild domestic refineries, scrap net zero and convert gas to liquid fuel. The Nationals want to halve fuel excise for a year.

None of this fixes the structural problem. Building a new refinery might take a decade – and it will still need imported crude oil to run. Halving the excise won’t even cover the current premiums – while costing up to $6 billion in revenue. These are poor comfort blankets for the storm we’ve found ourselves in.

The only affordable, permanent way to shore up our fuel security and energy independence is to draw upon the natural resources we have an abundance of.

Put simply, we need to use more Australian sunshine and wind, so we need less foreign oil.

Australia’s trucking fleet is the single most diesel-intensive segment of the economy. And thanks to rapid advances in technology, and battery prices that are falling faster than industry analysts can keep up with, electric trucking is a viable option for a majority of the tonne-kilometres travelled today.

Major fleets at Linfox, Woolworths, Ikea and Toll are steadily scaling up their use. The longest range eTrucks that will come to market in 2026 have a range over 500km. For the smaller truck models used on urban delivery, port shuttles, and metropolitan freight, existing electric models often beat their diesel alternatives on price when factoring in the operational savings from moving away from diesel over the truck’s life.

Every electric truck and van on the road is diesel that stays in reserve. Diesel available for farmers who can’t simply plug in their harvesters at the boundary fence. Diesel for remote communities with no grid connection. Diesel for our military.

And the electricity that powers these trucks is increasingly supplied by our very own sun and wind. That’s energy sovereignty, independence and national security we will never get from diesel.

But to really accelerate the rate of freight electrification requires coordinated public involvement at a scale Australia has so far refused.

Take charging infrastructure as an example. Australia needs high-powered charging depots at logistics hubs, distribution centres, and along major freight corridors. This presents an opportunity to use large distribution centre roofs and land adjacent to highway charging stations to generate and store electricity where it’s needed. Grid upgrades are also needed at key interchanges. But while ARENA has released a national charging  roadmap, it’s yet to find support or funding equivalent to the scale required.

The vast majority of Australian trucking businesses – 98 per cent on some measures – are small and medium enterprises. While many current electric truck models are cheaper over 5-10 years, they have an upfront premium that is a barrier for smaller operators in a way that it isn’t for major fleets. Purchase incentives, concessional finance through the CEFC, and guaranteed residual values can close the up-front cost-gap and unlock adoption for smaller businesses.

We’re being left behind by the rest of the world. California has mandated charging at truck stops along its interstate highways. The EU has legislated minimum charging standards at 60-kilometre intervals on core freight routes. Germany is building a national megawatt charging network. In December last year, more than 50 per cent of all trucks sold in China were electric. Norway exempted electric trucks from purchase tax and tolls, accelerating adoption faster than any forecast predicted.

None of this is cheap. But Australia currently spends $11 billion each year on diesel fuel tax credits, the bulk of which goes to padding the dividends of a handful of multinational mining companies. So we’re already paying billions – just on policies that entrench the very dependency that makes us vulnerable.

Australia is at a crossroads. We have a shared understanding of the problem, but we’re being asked to choose between two distinct visions of the future.

One of those visions looks backward – rebuild refineries, subsidise fossil fuels, and pretend a 1970s energy model can be restored. The other vision is of self-sufficiency, and true energy sovereignty. It requires leadership and commitment. A national charging infrastructure plan. Support for small business operators making the switch. Grid investment to handle new demand.

Roberts, along with Hanson and Canavan, are right to point out that we’re dangerously exposed. But their proposals offer us little shelter. Australia’s fuel security problem is a demand problem, not just a supply problem. To reduce import dependence permanently we can’t just stockpile more of the thing we’re dangerously short of, we need to focus on needing less of it.